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The Sikorsky SB-1 is a new design. That may be

April 8, 2019 by Lena Webb

The Sikorsky SB-1 is a new design. That may be to do with its small size and weight, but it's not a major problem when compared to other helicopters. It'll only make its first flight in the airfield, and its most advanced design will be ready to fly for the US Army in 2018. It's also not entirely new.

A few years ago,  the  Air Force gave its first attempt at a helicopter with the  Future Combat Aircraft (FCA) program.  The FCA program uses three rotors and two rotors to perform several critical functions, including the tracking, radar, and electronic warfare functions.  The FCA also conducts air-to-air refueling, weather reconnaissance, and reconnaissance operations for the US Army.  The FCA has been expanding its capabilities with the addition of new helicopters to its fleet.

At the height of its development in the mid-1990s,  the  Air Force issued an cancellation order for two aircraft that had the  Future Combat Aircraft (FCA) designation.  The order also said that the   SB-1 would be operated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The  FSAA has since extended the number of active duty Sikorsky and Boeing  pilots to more than 70 , and the first  SB-1 was built in 2007.

In an interview with the  Times-Standard ,  Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that this  SB-1 is no longer an aircraft to be used as a military weapon.

"If it's a helicopter, then it's not a defense weapon," Rumsfeld told the  Times-Standard. "But a defense weapon is defense of the world if you know the adversary," he said.

In December,  the Air Force announced that it would no longer continue an extended program of development of the SB-1.  That decision was a result of a two-year review process that began with the Air Force's  Future Combat Aircraft program, which began in 2003.

The  USAF also announced that it would no longer operate the SB-1.

The  Air Force also announced that it would no longer conduct  air-to-air refueling operations.

The Department of Defense has expanded its efforts to develop new defense aircraft, including  Block 3 of the Vought Block 7, the first of its kind in the US.  The  Block 3 was developed in the mid-1990s